Legal Definitions - rising vote

A rising vote is a method of voting where individuals indicate their choice by physically standing up. This technique is often employed in legislative bodies, organizational meetings, or assemblies to obtain a clear and accurate count of votes, particularly when a voice vote might be ambiguous, or to visibly demonstrate the strength of support or opposition for a proposal.

• During a city council meeting, a proposal to rezone a controversial plot of land for commercial development was put to a vote. After a heated debate and an unclear voice vote, the council president called for a rising vote to ensure an accurate count. Council members in favor of the rezoning stood up first, followed by those opposed, allowing the clerk to precisely tally the votes and record the outcome.

  This illustrates a rising vote because the council members physically stood to register their vote, providing a clear, countable indication of their position on the rezoning proposal.

• At the annual general meeting of a large non-profit organization, a motion was introduced to amend the organization's bylaws. Given the importance of the change, the chairperson requested a rising vote to visibly confirm the level of member support. All members present were asked to stand if they approved the amendment, and then those who disapproved stood, ensuring a transparent and unambiguous count for the official minutes.

  Here, the rising vote served to visually confirm and emphasize the support or opposition among the members regarding a significant organizational change, making their individual stance clear to everyone present.

• In a university faculty senate meeting, a resolution to revise the curriculum for a core program was presented. While there was general discussion, one senator requested a rising vote to get a definitive count of the faculty's approval, especially since the change would impact many departments. Faculty members then stood to indicate their support for the curriculum revision, allowing for a precise tally of the votes.

  This example demonstrates a rising vote as the faculty members physically stood to indicate their vote on the curriculum revision, allowing for an unambiguous count of support in a formal academic setting.